George Russell is open to having Max Verstappen as a future teammate at Mercedes, saying: “You don’t need to be best mates as teammates.”
Verstappen has been linked with a move away from Red Bull over recent months after enduring a frustration season in the shadow of McLaren’s dominance. The four-time world champion has dragged himself back into title contention but trails championship leader Lando Norris by 36 points going into the final four races of the season.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently admitted that his attempts to poach Verstappen from Red Bull had “destabilised” his team after photos emerged over the summer of the pair socialising on his yacht.
Russell’s own future had been in doubt after months of contract talks with Mercedes, but he eventually signed a new deal last month to stay with the team alongside the talented young Italian Kimi Antonelli.
Russell’s relationship with Verstappen is strained after clashes on the track and in the media, with Verstappen labelling the Briton “two-faced” after the Qatar Grand Prix earlier this season, to which Russell responded by calling his rival a “bully”. But Russell insists the pair could work together on the same team if Mercedes were to ever secure Verstappen’s signature.
“We don’t really speak but we don’t ignore each other,” Russell said of their relationship in the paddock, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph. “I don’t lose sleep over it. And for sure he doesn’t lose sleep over it. So it doesn’t bother me one single bit.
“Life is short. We’re all adults. We all learn from these experiences. You don’t need to be best mates as team-mates. Senna and Prost weren’t good friends and they still finished one-two. Lewis and Nico [Rosberg], one-two. Obviously Lewis and Fernando [Alonso] is a notable exception. But Lewis should have won that year [2007]. So yeah, Max is an incredible driver. There’s no denying that. But that’s why I would relish going up against him. We all believe we’re the best.”
Russell also moved to clarify the state of his new contract, explaining the “multi-year” clause was conditional on performances and that he is only secured at Mercedes for one more year.
“It is something I haven’t actually said publicly, but the deal is, if I’m performing [in 2026], we have a specific clause that if I reach [a certain target], we will automatically renew for 2027. So my seat for 2027 is in my hands. So I’m not being strung along here. We’re not going to be in the same position as we were six months ago. If I perform, and I don’t want to go into details, but if I perform, then 100 per cent I’ll be staying.”
